Snow followed Sakura as she made her way to the Hokage tower. It swirled around her in icy flakes, until she turned and slammed the door shut behind her.
Inside it was warm and the aroma of sake was lingering.
Sakura pushed back the hood of her red anorak and made her way toward her Shishou's office. As she navigated, she was conscious of a whole set of eyes boring into her back, they weren't friendly eyes.
It wasn't until she opened the door of Tsunade-sama's office that Sakura was able to support her theory of who was behind her.
"Sakura, Sasuke," Tsunade called out to the two people who had just come inside the room as she was about to slides off her chair
Sakura had not forgotten the wedding event as a matter of fact she avoided him for five years because of that.
She didn't know how she did it but it wasn't easy considering they live in the same village. She still feels anger and bitterness about what happened between them and then what had happened after.
She sighed. It doesn't matter anymore.
Surely it had been reasonable that she didn't forget all of it and Sasuke had been over about it as early as after the incident. He was after all the Uchiha Sasuke, a silent truce was very common thing with him.
"I am assigning you both in a simple A-rank mission," her beloved mentor was eyeing both of them, it was plainly obvious. "Is it okay?"
She shook her head, and when she spoke, her voice was uneven, almost husky. "Yes. Tsunade-sama."
Sasuke kept his gaze at the blond Hokage, trying not to look at Sakura directly, but raised his eyebrow at her actions. He chose not to speak for the reason that he knew it will put them all in an awkward moment.
Shizune handed the scroll to Sasuke that contained the information of their mission. "Have fun!" she was beaming.
The three frowned at her, digesting what she had said. They were silent for a long time until Sakura was the one who turned her back and got out first then Sasuke, they walk in silence when they went out of the room.
When Tsunade was sure that the two young souls are a little far from hearing, "Have fun? Really Shizune…"
"It was so tensed! I have to break it somehow," her lips parted to form an angelic smile. "Just you wait Tsunade-sama! I promised you after few minutes— precisely after three minutes after the door slammed they would start a peaceful conversation! "
Tsunade already knew they will definitely have a discussion, she only could hope that Shizune was right about the peaceful part.
When they got out of the Hokage Tower, Sasuke did come to a decision to speak up and break the awkwardness that he tried not to accomplish but was futile because of the help he received from ebullient pig holder medic.
"So," Sasuke's voice was gruff, exasperated. "Still avoiding me?"
Yes. Oh how she wanted to scream YES!
It was like the time when he was on his way to leave Konohagakure, but today there were major twist of roles. He will be the Sakura, who will ask bunch of questions and will try the hardest to convince her to talk to him as follows… she will be the Sasuke who will try to block all of his questions and maybe say thank you.
It was a very blunt question, it was expected, he never did do a round trip on any conversation and he wanted answers to his leisurely growing curiosity on why the hell she was avoiding him. Supposed to be he was the one that should be doing it, not her.
Sakura was still forming a reply when he went on, "Three years, since the idiot wanting to be Hokage become M.I.A."
For a moment the cold stole her breath. She paused to draw it back into her lungs. Then wished she hadn't. Because almost once she took another step from the cold snow that covered the pathway she felt a hard warm hand lock onto her shoulder.
She got the message and Sasuke removed his hands, slowly she faced him. "I am not avoiding you…" She bit her lip.
Such a pathetic liar
"Hn." He said forcing himself to be calm.
Sakura frowned.
Physical pain is nothing compare to emotional pain… But is she sure that Sasuke was also experiencing emotional pain? Isn't it that she was the only one who was carrying the emotional burden?
Secretly the two of them were hurting.
Sasuke walk pass by her. There were no words that came out from his mouth, but it was easily understood—if you knew Sasuke or if you're smart it can be easily comprehended that you should follow him.
She didn't want a private conversation with him.
At one time Sasuke had been her teammate, friend, killer, refuge and almost a husband. She would have killed herself just to please him. But it wasn't the same anymore. Now, if he left her to bleed, she wouldn't blame him. He might have tried to kill them many times, but the thing she had done to him was much more.
And what had happened to her after that, she deserves it too.
If someone from the two of them needed something one wouldn't be hesitant to give it, because… still…
Sasuke stopped and faced her this time, he smiled enigmatically that made Sakura wanting to take him by the shoulders and shake him. Sasuke wasn't supposed to smile to her, it's inappropriate.
"But supposing we had got married…" His voice was unusually soft.
For a moment their looks held.
"I'd have made the best of it, of course." Sakura maintained her façade of detachment. "Taken care of you, cook for you and kept your refrigerator full. Kept you away out of trouble, even if I have to confine you to our room and tie you up I will."
"That sounds like hell." Sasuke joked and pretended to be amused. "Aren't you a bit young to be playing bondage?"
"Sasuke I am not that innocent and young to begin with," suggested Sakura dryly.
"To me you were." His gaze stroked pensively over her green orbs.
"Then you are gravely mistaken." She gave a light laugh she wouldn't let him see how his words stung.
"Mistaken? Certainly not," his tone was laconic. "You're the only girl that I considered so fragile and should be watch twenty four seven."
"Why do you need to talk to me?" Sakura divulge.
"Why don't you tell me anything?" Sasuke garbled. He still had the guts to test (annoy) if Sakura would say the same thing he had said to her many years ago.
"Why should I tell you anything?" Sakura whispered.
His mouth slanted cynically. "You're still annoying."
Sakura said nothing. But she averted her eyes to the ground, he isn't making her comfortable anymore, he's acting weird— this conversation is weird. She isn't like Sasuke, she can't be like the twelve year old and current Sasuke who can play it cold.
"Do you want me to knock you out now?"
Sasuke was without a doubt amused that Sakura could coolly play along. But the last statement, even if it was a joke, Sasuke could never find himself laughing.
"Sakura, you're going to marry me."
Was he asking deliberately? It wasn't like he was pleading for her hand in marriage it was more like an order for her to get married to him. She was actually so confused right now. Her stomach churn and her legs go woolly at the knees. Sasuke was again playing with her…
"Sakura," said Sasuke, his carved face registering exasperation as well as impatience.
"I'm Sorry, Sasuke. I have to go." She gave him a bow, and jump quickly at a house and to the next, escaping the continuation of the conversation that should be happening between them.
"Sasuke that isn't the proper way to persuade a girl into marrying you again, "said a grinning Suigetsu, leaning on a tree. The original plan is that he would accompany Sasuke all day long. Sai suggested that they should bond more. Sai was weird but Suigetsu decided it was not such a bad idea. But when they saw the pink haired kunoichi entering the Hokage Tower before them, he suddenly disappears.
"For being chased by many women, you really don't know anything about chasing one of them back don't you?"
He was actually kind enough to hide and let Sasuke have a little time with her. Suigetsu wasn't an idiot. Actually everyone knows that Sakura was indeed avoiding Sasuke, and Sasuke wasn't been please of what she had been doing for the past years though it wasn't screamed out loud.
For Suigetsu also knew after the dreaded wedding day Sasuke locked himself in his parents' room and cried silently for hours.
Sasuke is not a cry baby but if he was hurt a lot, he would definitely cry like one but silently. It was rare. And Suigetsu thinks that it's unsuitable for him to cry, like when he killed his brother Itachi. He felt this weird pang in chest it makes his right eye twitch so badly. So yeah, he will try not to let Sasuke cry anymore.
"Hn," Sasuke snorted. "She is different, she is annoying."
.
.
.
Sakura turned quickly and began to stumble for the door. As her eyes look at him her heart tightens, she finds it hard to breath. It was like a claustrophobic experience. It wasn't Sasuke's fault … it was entirely hers. She didn't want to say it out loud but indeed she was still hurt. She was still dreaming to be Sasuke's wife… to be the new mother of the Uchiha clan.
… even if Naruto was here with her at the moment
She found the door, she was about to open it she felt a person standing behind her. Sakura made a stupendous effort to get her emotions under control. "I don't want to talk to you anymore," she said forcing herself to meet his onyx cold stare.
"Then don't talk to me, just listen to what I have to say." Sasuke took a step toward her.
"You'll stay at the Uchiha compound starting from now on." he said curtly.
"Why?"
"Because I said so." he said again harshly.
"I am not sure," she said without knowing quite what he was planning to do with her.
As if reading her thought he replied, "Why? Afraid I'll come prowling down the hall to exact revenge? If I'd wanted to do that, don't you think I'd have seen to it years ago?"
"No." Sakura gasped as a gust of wind blew snow into her face. "No, you don't even care. If you'd care, you'd never have let me marry Naruto in the first place."
"Another mistake," he said decisively. "I do care. A lot…"
Sasuke added gruffly, "If you're expecting Naruto to arrive to whisk you out from my grasp again, you're lying to yourself."
Sakura looked away. She didn't reply to his statement, she didn't want to. There was again an awkward silence and then, once again, she felt his warm hands on her shoulder. "I'm sorry," he paused as if he was having trouble finding the words, his hands slowly traveling to her back. "…I've always been…"
And suddenly the old frustrations, the tears that she had been holding back finally pour out. She tried covering her whole face with both of her hands. He pressed her harder against his torso.
Their love for each other is unending and truthful.
Even though the hood of her anorak did never been put back on, she never felt the coldness. Instead she felt very cozy and warm with just Sasuke's hands around her.
つづく ...
